Raut engaged in 'empty talk' while Mahayuti leaders stand with farmers: BJP

Mumbai, Sep 24 (PTI) The Maharashtra BJP on Wednesday said that while the Mahayuti ministers and leaders were working alongside farmers affected by the Marathwada floods, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut was "sitting in Mumbai and indulging in empty talk".

When Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister, "farmers were met on carpets," but the Mahayuti ministers were now standing in the mud alongside them, state BJP media chief Navnath Ban claimed while talking to reporters.

He further claimed that Thackeray was reluctant to visit flood-hit areas of Marathwada.

"The region has been suffering for three days. Thackeray is going on the fourth day. If it were a trip to London, he would have left on the first day. Foreign tours attract him, not farmers' suffering," Ban charged.

Heavy rains have lashed the Marathwada region and several other parts of Maharashtra for the past few days, causing widespread damage.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was touring Solapur and Latur on Wednesday; Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had been in the field since morning, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was in Dharashiv, and minister Pankaja Munde was visiting Jalna and Beed, Ban noted.

"But Raut prefers to remain in Mumbai and does not see the tears of farmers," the BJP leader claimed.

"Raut is engaged in empty talk while Mahayuti leaders are on the ground with farmers," he added.

Ban said 32 lakh farmers have received Rs 2,500 crore directly in their bank accounts under the first phase of relief assistance.

"This is the first instalment. More help will follow in the second phase. This time, there are no eligibility conditions - every farmer who has suffered losses will get assistance," he said.

Ban also targeted Raut in connection with a money laundering case related to the Patra Chawl redevelopment project, in which the Enforcement Directorate had arrested the Rajya Sabha member in 2022.

The BJP leader alleged that Rs 1,000 crore was siphoned off and challenged Raut. "If you really care for farmers, use some of that money for those in Marathwada. Otherwise, people will not accept you as standing with farmers," he said.

Ban also claimed that Raut was only concerned about securing the post of leader of the opposition in the state assembly for the Sena (UBT) and not about the crisis faced by farmers.

"Livestock are dying, farmers are in distress, but Raut only thinks about the chair of leader of opposition. Except Omraje Nimbalkar, none of their MLAs are on the ground," he said.

Taking a dig at Uddhav Thackeray, Ban claimed that when he was the CM, "farmers were met on carpets," while Mahayuti ministers were now standing in the mud with farmers.

"One cannot see farmers' pain from a carpet; it is felt only after stepping into the mud," he remarked.

Further targeting Raut, the BJP leader quipped that the parliamentarian "understands land plots, not farming".

"He is interested in grabbing plots in Alibaug, not in understanding farmers' struggles. His politics is about land and builders, not about farmers' pain," Ban alleged. PTI ND GK